Findings
On the basis of the information obtained during the review, ERO considers that Academy for Gifted Education meets the criteria for registration as a private school set out in the Education Act 1989.
1 Background
The Chief Review Officer has a statutory duty to report on the performance of private schools throughout New Zealand.
Section 35I of the Education Act 1989, requires the Education Review Office (ERO) to review private schools between 6 and 12 months after they have been provisionally registered, and to report to the Ministry of Education for the Secretary to consider full registration.
This ERO review follows the provisional registration of the school by the Ministry of Education in February 2017, and focuses on whether the school now meets the criteria for full registration as a private school.
2 Criteria for Registration
Academy for Gifted Education is a new school located in Takapuna, Auckland. The school opened in February 2018 and currently caters for 19 students from Years 1 to 13. Most of the students attend full-time. Some students who are ‘flexitime’ enrolments are also learning through Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (the correspondence school), are home-schooled or attend for a shortened day. The school is privately owned, and its establishment phase is being managed by the owner, an advisory board and a director.
The school has suitable premises and equipment. It is operating from a commercial building in the central business district of Takapuna. The spacious area has been professionally fitted out and furnished for education purposes. The flexible nature of the spaces enables teachers and students to use them in a variety of ways for different purposes. As a result, the learning environment is attractive and well suited to the curriculum the school offers its students.
Teachers and students use community facilities and the wider environment including the local library, swimming pool, park and beaches, to extend learning opportunities. The owner plans to move the school to a different commercial building within the local area. A complete fit-out is intended to ensure the new premises meet the needs of students, staff and the curriculum.
There is sufficient equipment to engage students in their learning. Teachers use provocations to spark students’ curiosity and interest. Equipment that supports the learning in specialist areas taught by tutors, provides good opportunities for students to pursue their interests and develop skills. Students bring their own digital devices to school. They use these for both planned learning and recreation during breaks.
The school has suitable staffing. It is staffed by four fully qualified teachers, six part-time tutors, and administration and support staff. A new director (principal) has been appointed to begin in January 2019. The school has appointed experienced teachers who are familiar with the expectations of the owner. Staff are committed to the school’s vision for teaching and learning. They are continuing to develop shared understandings of systems and processes as the school evolves. Processes are underway to ensure police vetting is completed where necessary.
The school provides a suitable curriculum. The school’s valued outcomes are for students to be curious, creative and compassionate life learners who fall in love with the joy of learning. The school’s curriculum is founded on the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). Learning opportunities are based around term-long themes that seek to answer overarching questions. Teachers and students find contexts that are engaging and build on students’ interests and learning preferences.
Tutors provide expertise for specialist learning in robotics, music, science and art. Teaching is differentiated and responsive to the individual students' personalised learning plan and programme. Students have a significant role in planning for their own learning. Literacy and numeracy are integrated into the programme. Teachers use appropriate tools to assess students’ progress in relation to skills and understandings.
The school has suitable standards of tuition. The school day and year are of appropriate length to provide students with good opportunities to learn. All teachers are registered and have relevant teaching experience for their roles. There are high expectations that teaching practice will be responsive to individual students’ learning strengths, needs and interests. Teachers continue to build shared understandings of how best to plan for and teach programmes suited to each student. They keep detailed records of each students' progress and achievement.
Formalising the appraisal policy and procedure will help teachers to meet the requirements for the endorsement of their practising certificates through the Education Council.
The school’s owner and director have attested that they comply with the provisions of section 35G as being fit and proper persons to manage the school.
3 Other Obligations
The school has recently clarified its vision, mission and values. During this establishment phase of the school, the evolving nature of systems and processes has become evident. The board and teachers have identified the need to continue to develop policies and procedures to support consistent approaches and practices. The new principal is expected to build on these existing foundations.
4 Conclusion
On the basis of the information obtained during the review, ERO considers that Academy for Gifted Education meets the criteria for registration as a private school set out in the Education Act 1989.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
31 January 2019
About the School
| Location | Takapuna, Auckland |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 847 |
| School type | Private (Years 1 to 13) |
| School roll | 19 |
| Gender composition | Boys 14 Girls 5 |
| Ethnic composition | Māori
Pākehā
other ethnic groups | 2
14
3 |
| Review team on site | November 2018 |
| Date of this report | 31 January 2019 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | No previous ERO reports | |